South Korea consumer sentiment holds largely steady in Sept

SEOUL: Consumer sentiment in South Korea held virtually steady in September after rising for two months in a row, a central bank survey showed, as households saw little improvement to come in their future living conditions and job market.

The Bank of Korea's composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) for September inched lower to 101.7 from 101.8 in August, the highest level since December 2015.

A reading above 100 indicates that optimists outnumber pessimists in their expectations for living conditions. The survey showed a modest step back in respondents' assessment of current and future conditions, although expectations on future income were steady from last month.

The central bank started providing the benchmark figure to one decimal place starting this month to reflect changes in survey detail, according to the statement.

The same survey showed South Koreans expected consumer inflation for the next 12 months at 2.5 percent, up from the previous month's result at 2.4 percent.

The survey is based on responses from 2,080 households across the nation between September 13 to 23.